(Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns have a playoff-caliber roster for one of the few times in the past few decades, and while they have a talented quarterback in Deshaun Watson and very capable players at the skill positions, they win the old-fashioned way.
That means holding teams down with a hard-hitting defense and controlling the line of scrimmage with one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.
Guard Joel Bitonio has been a huge part of the Browns’ offensive line over the last 10 seasons, and when addressing how much longer he may play, he says he’s taking it one year at a time, per Mary Kay Cabot.
#Browns Joel Bitonio on how long he wants to play: pic.twitter.com/B0s6TYGdrX
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) June 3, 2024
Bitonio has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last four seasons, and he and his mates helped keep things together last season when a big rash of injuries hit the Browns.
Star running back Nick Chubb suffered a catastrophic knee injury in Week 2, while Watson went down with a shoulder injury shortly afterward that would prematurely end his year.
The Browns then turned to 39-year-old QB Joe Flacco, who hadn’t played yet in 2023, and he unexpectedly led them to a four-game winning streak in December that gave them a playoff spot.
With Bitonio’s help, Flacco was sacked just eight times in his five regular-season games with Cleveland, although he did get sacked four times in the team’s playoff loss to the Houston Texans.
If Watson regains his old form, which is a big if, Cleveland should be in the running for back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since 1989.
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